Try These Slimmed-Down Desserts for Holiday Entertaining
Pears and cranberries are one of Registered Dietitian Maridee Feeherry's "favorite taste combinations," so she created healthier versions of these traditional recipes.
PEAR-CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients:
4 cups day-old egg bread or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup chopped, peeled, ripe pears or apples
¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
2 cans (14 ounces) evaporated skim milk
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten (or ½ cup Eggbeaters)
4 teaspoons vanilla
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine bread, pears, and cranberries. Whisk together milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; pour over bread mixture, tossing lightly. Let stand for five minutes. Pour into greased, 8-inch (8-cup) square baking dish, pressing with spatula to level. Bake in center of 350 degrees F oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve warm.
Yield: 6 servings
PEAR-CRANBERRY CRISP WITH LOW-FAT ICE CREAM
Ingredients:
3 pounds (about 5) ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh cranberries or frozen, thawed
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats (not instant)
½ cup finely ground walnuts
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss pears, cranberries, ¼ cup sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish.
Mix flour and next four ingredients with a fork in medium bowl. Add oil and stir to coat. Add butter and mix with fingertips until well blended. Add orange juice concentrate and mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit.
Bake crisp 30 to 35 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm with low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Pear-cranberry crisp with low-fat ice cream was adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit.